Sound recording apparatus



Feb. 1, 1944. l. H. GOLDMAN 2,340,658

' VSOUNI)RECORDING APPARATUS Filed April 1Q, 1959` -AF l Z2 2i y,

/s/Do/eE H, GOLDMAN INVENTOR am@ d. 4i @ah ATTORNEYv Patented Feb. 1, 1944 y UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SOUND RECORDING APPARATUS y Isidore H. Goldman, New York, N. Y. Application April 10, 1939, Seljial No. 266,932

1 Claim.

This invention relates generally to sound recording apparatus, but more specifically to means for accelerating the speed of movement of the cutting head carriage of the overhead feed mechanism at chosen intervals during rotation of the turntable and independently of the speed of rotation of the said turntable.

The main object of the invention resides in the provision of a sound recording apparatus of the overhead feed type wherein the lead screw carrying the cutting head is equipped with independent means for accelerating the speed thereof at desired intervals and during normal rotation derived from the turntable.

Such provision of an independent source of acceleration for the lead screw permits a spacing of groups of sound tracks on the same record wherein each group represents the sound of a single performer or a particular excerpt from a single performance. The owner of the record may be given a chart to indicate the identity of the spaced groups of sound tracks so that guess work in playing back desired portions of sound on a record will be eliminated and the consequent scratching of the record by such guess work will be minimized.

Furthermore, in those cases where less than the whole record is utilized for the recording of sound, the operator need not Wait for the usual time it takes to cut the record to the end. Such time is minimized by accelerating the speed of the lead screw until the end of the record is reached, thereby causing the cutting of widely spread sterile grooves in the record following the recorded sound.

It is, therefore, another object of the invention to provide means in a sound recording apparatus whereby a record may be completely cut within a short interval of time after a small portion thereof has been used in making a sound track.

These objects and other incidental ends and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear in the progress of the disclosure and as pointed out in the appended claim.

Accompanying this specification is a drawing showing a preferred form of the invention wherein corresponding reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views and wherein:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary top plan view of the apparatus, including the overhead feed mechanism having an independent control for acceleration of the lead screw.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary front elevation of Figure 1. f l

Figure 3 is a foreshortened and horizontal secrtional view of the lead screw and lead screw mechanism showing the driving shaft therefor in phantom lines.

Figure 4 is an exterior outer end plan view of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary and enlarged sectional view vof a record made in accordance with the invention.

The sound recording apparatus shown includes the conventional turntable I il provided with a depending central shaft I2 and carrying a central pin I3 on its upper end. to engage both a record disk Ill and a driving ange I5, the motor drive system for the turntable not being shown in the drawing. Numeral I6 indicates any conventional bearing secured to the rear of panel I I on which the overhead feedmechanism, carrying the cutting head assembly of which the flange I5 is a part, is rotatably and pivotally secured.

Generally, the framework of the conventional overhead feed mechanism or assembly consists of end blocks Il and I8 spaced and secured together .by means of overlying rods I9 and 20 penetrating the said blocks and secured in position by means of nuts as shown. End block I8 has secured thereto a supporting member 2| for the overhead assembly, the said supporting member 2| being adapted to be pivotally secured to ears 22 of a rotatable standard 23 mounted on bearing I6. A lead screw 24 is removably held between blocks I'I and I8 as will hereinafter be more fully described.

A conventional cutting head carriage 25 is adapted to ride along yrods I9 and 20, the said cutting head carriage having a cutting head 26 pivoted thereto and having Vmeans thereon for detachable threaded engagement'with the lead screw 24. The pivoted means betweenV cutting head 26 and carriage 25y and the engaging means between cutting head 26 and lead screw are not shown on the drawing. The cutting head 25 is preferably of the electro-magnetic type and is provided with a stylus 21. .l

Block II at the forward portion is provided with a housing 28 which is penetrated from the outer side by means of supporting spindle 29 having a conical projection 30 at the inner end.

to serve as a dead center for one end of the lead screw 24 and having at the cuter end a knob 3|. Projecting into housing 28 from the inner side is a journal box 32 having a cylindrical wall 32 and having preferably as an outer wall adetachably secured gear plate 33, the. latter meshing with a worm drivenV by the driving ange I5.

The said driving flange I5 is provided with an upwardly extending shaft 34 and a top cap member 35, the shaft at the intermediate portion being surrounded by a housing 36, the latter being affixed to and communicating with housing 28. The aforementioned worm indicated by numeral 31 is on that portion of shaft 34 within housing 36.

The connection between the journal box 32, its detachably secured gear plate 33 and one end of lead screw 24 is arranged whereby lead screw 24 is independently rotatable about dead center 38 and within journal box 32 in the direction of and during rotation of the box. Thus, the outer end of lead screw 24 is provided with a shoulder 38 disposed within the box 32 and is reducedvat the outer end as at portion 38, the latter penetrating gear plate 33 as .best shown in Figure 3 of the drawing. Portion 39 of lead screw 24 at the outer end is provided with a central conical mortise 43 to engage the deadcenter 38 while numerals 4I each indicate openings on the outer edge of the cylindrical Ywall of box 32 which engage pins 4I from the gear plate 33. As

shown in Figure 4, shoulder 38 has an engaging or overlying spring ring 42 open as at 43 and having a transverse notch 44 diametrically opposite opening 43 and on the outer side. Engaging the spring ring 42 and mounted within the inner surface of wall 32' of journal box 32 is a collar split into two opposing and similar sections 45 and 45 and spaced from each other adjacent notch 44 and adjacent opening 43. Sections 45 and 46 are detachably secured to spring ring 42 by means of pins 41 and 48 secured thereto and penetrating openings 49 and 58 in the spring ring 42.

A substantially circular opening 5l is formed between ring sections 45 and 45 above notch 44 and the inner surface of side 32' of journal box 32 by means of cylindrically out sections 52, 53 and 54 respectively, while a `communicating curved opening 55 communicates with the opening 5I, the said opening 55 extending tangentially from cylindrically cut section 54 at one end to the inner surface of wall 32 at the other end. A roller 56 is adapted to engage circular opening 5I as shown in Figure 4.

Following the journalling of shoulder 33 within box 32 in accordance with the above described construction, the gear plate 33 is secured in the outer edge of wall 32 of journal box 32 by means of pins 4 i engaging mortises 41.

By rotating lead screw 24 in a clockwise Vdirection, it is seen from Figure 4 that roller 55 in circular opening 5I nests against cylindrically cut sections 54 and 53,A thereby exerting no downward pressure on ring sections 45 and 46. The frictional engagement between spring ring 42 and shoulder 38 is not great enough to prevent rotation of screw 24 therebeneath. However, if lead screw 24 is rotated counterclockwise, roller 56 is carried by cylindrically cut sections 53 and 54 against the curved opening 55, thereby causing a downward thrust of roller 55 resulting in a clampingv of spring ring 42 about shoulder 38, the said clamping of the spring ring 42 being aided by the transverse notch 44.

It is, therefore, obviously seen that when the journal box 32 is caused to rotate in a clockwise direction by the meshing of gear plate 33 and worm 31, the lead screw 24 is also carried by this rotation in view oi the fact that the lead screw is prevented from turning in a counterclockwise direction as above described. Itisfalso obvious that during rotation of the journal box 32 in a clockwise direction, it is possible to rotate lead screw 24 in a clockwise direction within spring ring 42.

The worm 31 is caused to rotate by the engagement of driving flange I5 by pins 51 projecting upwardly from turntable Il and penetrating corresponding openings in record i4 and in flange i5. In order to independently rotate lead screw 24 during rotation of journal box 32, an independent driving means is provided for the lead screw 24.

The supporting member 2l for the overhead feed assembly is provided with a central cylindrical bore 58 communicating with a reduced bore 59 in the outer end. A hand Wheel 60 is adapted to be keyed to a spindle 6I, the said spindle being springably mounted within member 2l and having a conically shaped projection or live center 62 penetrating a corresponding central opening 63 on one end of lead screw 24. The spindle 6I is provided with two projecting pin members 64 and 65 which engage orices in the end of lead screw 24 whereby the turning of the spindle causes the turning of the lead screw 24. The spindle 6I is slidable within bore 53 and is provided with a reduced shaft 56, the latter extending through bore 58 and being slidable within reduced bore 59 and penetrating and terminating beyond the handwheel 88 in a threaded portion 61 which is engageable by a nut 88. That portion of reduced shaft 66 penetrating the handwheel 53 is keyed thereto by means of a keying member 69.

Bore 58 serves as a housing for a helical spring 1i) situated between one end of spindle 6I and the shoulder formed between bore 58 and reduced bore 53. From this construction, screw 24 is mounted under spring tension between dead center 38 and live center 52. Moreover, by exerting outward 'pressure on the handwheel 68, screw 24 at one end is detached from the live center 62 and pins 64 and 65. When this is done, the screw 24 may then be withdrawn from the dead center 30 thereby permitting complete withdrawal of the screw 24 and the journal box 32 from the apparatus.

Record I4 shows a series of spaced groups of spiral sound tracks 'I I, 12, 13, 14 and 15. In addition, the record may be provided with widely separated spiral tracks or grooves, to complete a recording with sterile or unwanted sound tracks, t'le outermost groove being indicated by numeral The recording apparatus is used in the normal fashion. Where a recording on one record is desired to be split into various portions, the apparatus is operated in the normal way until, the first performance or a desired portion of one performance is ended and sound tracks 1I are formed. Thereupon handwheel 68 is quickly rotated in a clockwise direction thereby raccelerating the speed of screw 24 and of stylus 21 across the record. In this way widely separated tracks are formed which to the eye appear as a blank in contrast to the tracks of group 1i. Upon the commencement of the second performance or the second portion of a desired performance which is intended to be separated from the prior performance, the operator ceases turning the handwheel 60 and thernormal rate of recording is made. This process may be repeated for subsequent performers or for subsequent excerpts of a performance. Where a record is not intended to be Vcom#` pleted or there is no sound to be recorded to finish the record, the operator is not compelled to wait until the number of sterile or unwanted sound grooves are made in the record for comple-y tion, but may accelerate the time by turning the handwheel 60 and forming widely separated spiral grooves, the outermost groove being repre? sented by numeral 16. The spaced groups of sound tracks I l-16, inclusive, may each be identified by a suitable chart so that no guesswork is involved in the play-back of the record with the incident scratching and damaging thereof.

I wish it understood that the apparatus described for purposes of separating portions of a single performance or separating the sound of separate performers on one recording and for quickly completing a recording for unwanted sound or no sound, may be modified and changed in minor details to accomplish the object herein set forth in the invention without departing from the spirit of the invention.

10 screw provided with a gear at one end relatively rotatable therewith, a clutch mechanism including a compressible split ring engageable with one end of the lead screw, a pair of similar and spaced collar members between the gear and the 15 said compressible split ring, and a roller member in a recess formed between the said collar members and the gear to connect the gear to the lead screw for prevention of opposite rotation and for allowance of relative rotation in the same direc- 20 tion.

ISIDORE H. GOLDMAN. 

